Switch



E, w. RlcKMr-:YER 2,257,348

SWITCH Sept. 30, 1941.

Filed Feb. 27, 1939 Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SWITCH Ernst Walter Rickmeyer, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to Jefferson Electric Company, Bellwood, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 27, 1939, Serial No. 258,635

3 Claims. (Cl. ZOO-84) 'This invention relates to switches and more and which each illustrate an operating position particularly to switches for controlling electrical of the switch. circuits that operate with a quick or snap action With particular reference to the drawing, a in making or breaking the electrical circuits. bracket or support member I is preferably sub- Although there are many types and varieties 5 stantially U-shaped, having sides Il and I2 and of switches for controlling electrical circuits that connecting portions I3. The side Il preferably make and break the circuit with a quick or snap has ears or lugs I4 and I5 integral therewith, action, most of them have many parts and are which ears or lugs have openings I6 and Il diflicult to assemble as well as expensive. Furtherethrough for the accommodation of mount thermore, most of such switches embody me- 10 ing screws or other 'suitable fastening means. chanical contacts, as distinguished from liquid Lugs I8 and I9 are integral with and bent outor mercury switch or contact elements, and are wardly from the sides II and I2, respectively, consequently not at all adapted to eecting quick and are preferably located near the mid-portion or snap control of a liquid or mercury switch or of the outer ends of the sides II and I2 of the contact element. U-shaped bracket or support member I0. These It is therefore an object of my invention to lugs I8 and I9 are deformed or recessed as at 20 provide a switch mechanism for actuating a and 2I so as to provide recessed or indented mercury switch or contact element to make or sides. The lugs I8 and I9 are substantially in break an electrical circuit with a quick or snap alignment and provide` a pair of bearings. A action upon slow or uniform movement of the 29 second pair of lugs 22 and 23 are also integral switch operating member. with the sides II and I2, but are preferably bent Another object of my invention is to provide inwardly from the sides. These lugs 22 and 23 a switch operating mechanism having only a are in alignment to provide a second pair of bearsmall number of separate parts and which is ings and have recessed or indented sides such as easily assembled. 25 `24 and 25. The lugs 22 and 23 are preferably Another object of my invention is to provide located near the mid-portion of the substantially a switch loperating mechanism adapted to be U-shapcd bracket or support member I0 and actuated by a float responsive to liquid level and near the connecting portion or closed end of whichv effects quick or snap make or break of the U. the Contact element. 30 The indented 0r recessed sides 20 and 2I of Another object of my invention is to provide a the lugs I8 and I9, respectively, preferably face switch operating mechanism which has a small toward the closed end of the U and provide bearnumber of parts, and which operates with low ing surfaces for knife edges 2l and 28, respecfrietional resistance to movement. tively, that are integral with substantially paral- Another object of my invention is to provide lel legs 29 and 30 of a switch part or operated a switch operating mechanism for actuating a member 3l; the knife edges 2l and 28 being switch element with snap action which is comlocated in bifurcations or recesses 32 and 33 pact .and dura-ble. at the ends of the legs 29 and 30. The legs 29 Other objects and advantage/.Lofl myfr inven-eand 30 are joined at their other' ends by an intion include the novel combinations and arrangetegral cross-plece 34 which has a lug 35 integral ment of elementsas set forth by Way of illustherewith and extending inthe direction of the ../trationn/the disclosure herein and will become legs 29 and 30, intermediate those legs. A brackapparent as the description proceeds with refet 36 having an'opening 3l ltherein is integral erence to the accompanying drawing in WhiCh with the leg 3U and is preferably located near Fig. 1 is a-front elevatOn Of a SWtCh embOdythe axis of pivotal movement of the part or ing a preferred form of my'invention; f operated member 3l, which axis of pivotal move- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary back View of a part of ment is at the line of the knife edges 21 and 28.4`

ythe sWitch shown in Fig. 1; AnotherY bracket 39 has a lug 40 on one end Fig. 3 is a top view of the switch shown: in 5o/,thereof that extends intol anfopening 4| 'in the Fig. 1 with parts thereof removed; //f/f" bracket 36 and is secured to the bracket 36 by Fig, 4 is an exploded view of/some "of the esa rivet 38 or other suitable fastening means. A

sential parts of the switch shown in Fig. l; and strap 42 has an opening therein through which Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views, both of which the lug 4U extends to secure one end thereof. are taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 3, 55 The other end of the strap 42 is secured to the other end oi the 'bracket 3S by a screw 43 or other suitable fastening means.

The bracket 39 and strap 42 provide a clamp for securing a liquid or mercury switch element to the operated member 3i of the switch. 'This liquid or mercury switch element may be any one of the well known types of such elements having contacts therein and a quantity of liquid, such as mercury, for making and breaking a circuit between the contacts, and within a housing that is preferably sealed. Suitable insulated lead wires such as 46 and 4l' are utilized or making connections to the mercury switch element 45 and these lead wires may preferably be anchored between the mercury switch element 45 and the bracket 3S.

The indented or depressed sides 24 and 25 of the lugs 22 and 23 provide bearing surfaces for knife edges 49 and 50, respectively, that are integral with substantially parallel legs 5I and 52 of a switch operating member 53. The knife edges 49 and 50 are preferably located in recesses or bifurcations 54 and 55 at the ends of the substantially parallel legs 5l and 52. The legs 5| and 52 are joined by integral crosspieces or joining portions 56 and 5l. The crosspiece or adjoining portion 5l has an integral lug 58' thereon which extends between the legs 5i and 52. A lug S that is integral with and projects from the side of the leg I cooperates with shoulders 6I and 62 on the side l i of the substantially U shaped member i0 to provide stops for limiting the movement of the switch operatingmember 53 about the pivotal therefor vhich is provided by the knife edges 4S and 50 .nd the lugs 22 and 23. Stops are provided for `limiting the movement of the switch part or operated member 3l by engagement of the lug 35 with the connecting portions I3 of the substantially U-shaped member I0.

As the parts comprising the substantially U-shaped support member lll, the switch part or operated member 3l, and the switch operating member 53 are assembled, the sides II and I2 of the substantially U-shaped support member I straddle the legs 5I and 52 of the switch operating member and the legs 29 and 30 of the switch part or operated member 3l straddle the sides Il and I2 of the substantially U-shaped support member ID. The parts are held in this assembled position by a tension spring 65 having hooked end portions 66 and 6l that extend through openings 68 and 69 in the lugs 35 and 58, respectively. With the parts thus assembled and with proper alignment of the axes provided by the pairs of lugs I8 and I9, and 22 and 23, as well as proper displacement of the axes of the lugs I8 and I 9, and 22 and 23, movement of the operating member 53 about its pivotal axis moves the action line of the spring 53 across the pivotal axis of the switch part or operated member 3l to effect snap action or quick movement of the switch part or operated member 3| about its pivotal axis. vSuch rotary orV rocking movement of the switch part or operated member 3i about its pivotal axis changes the angular position or slope of the mercury switch element 45 to make and break an electrical circuit.

As one adaptation of this switch mechanism and as disclosed herein, it may be utilized to control the fluid or liquid level Within a tank or boiler indicated at l0. In this adaptation the adjoining portion 5l at the end of the operating member 53, opposite the knife edges 49 and 5U, is

preferably bifurcated as at 'Il to provide a slot 75 in which an actuating instrumentality l2 tha" 'is notched at 'I3 is mounted. The actuating in7 strumentality l2 preferably has notches shaped as to provide sharp edges such as 'it ti engage the operating member 53 adjacent the Y furcation or slot 'H to effect relative movement between the actuating instrumentality l2 and the operating member 53. The actuating instrumentality 12 is preferably threaded onto a rod l5 that extends through an opening T6 in a suitable plug ll and is connected or secured to a float 18. The plug Tl is screwed into a suitable opening l! in the boiler or tank lil and the' rod l5 is freely movable through the opening I6 therein to control the switch responsive to movements of the iloat 18, In this or other similar or suitable adaptations the switch is mounted on a support and secured thereto by screws 8| and 82 or other suitable fastening means that extend through the openings I6 and Il respectively.

From this description of the switch and its operating mechanism it will be understood that the number of separate parts has been minimized by the elimination of separate shafts or pins to provide bearings and by forming the bearing parts and stops integrally with the support member and operating and operated partsI of the switch. By providing substantially knife edge bearings for the moving parts of the switch it has been made practically frictionless in operation. It will also be noted that the same tension spring that effects snap or quick Inovementof the operated member responsive to movement of the operating member holds the parts of the switch operating mechanism comprising the support and the operating and operated members in their assembled relation. In the actual assembly of the switch the spring 65 is connected to either the lug 35 or the lug 58 before the operating and operated members are put in their assembled positions with respect to the support member, and then all that remains to be done to complete the assembly of the operating mechanism is to connect the spring to the other of the lugs 35 or 58. While I have illustrated and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, many` modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope 0f the invention and I do not desire or intend to be limited to the precise details set forth, but do desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A switch comprising, in combination, a substantially U-shaped support bracket having pairs of oppositely projecting grooved lugs integral therewith, said pairs of lugs projecting in opposite directions from the sides of the U-shaped support braccan pair of switch operating members each having a pair of sibswntially parallel projecting legs, said legs having bifurcted ends and integral knife edges, the knife edges of one of the switch operating members engaging one pair of grooved lugs and the knife edges of the other switch member engaging the other pair of grooved lugs to provide pivotal supports for both of the switch operating members, a.4 tension spring connected to each of the switch operating members and urging each toward the pivotal supporttherefor, stops integral with each of the switch operating members and adapted to engage cooperating parts of the support bracket for lirrr\` iting movement of the switch operating members about their respective pivotal supports, a mercury switch element, means securing the mercury reiief, ende ei' o engaging en of t.bk iembei engaging; me ether pair o2: to provide pivotei supports fer both tension spri eemieeted to each of the switch epemting members and. urging each toward the Jin/etai. subpart therefor, stops integrati with each of the switch @pere-ting members and adapted to engage eoepereting petits o the support bracket for limiting movement of the switch opemting members about their respective 4pivotal supports, and

greeveci ug of tbe switch operating membees e switch eentect means centrolied by the move ment of one of the switch operating members about its pivotal supports, the other of said e E L. knife ef @i if eieeegieg tbe ethei pei gieoveai lugs to ,ble etai euppeits i b oi the switch operating membesX tension seeing connected te each of tbe switch operating members find urging' each towed the pvetei supp't thereie, steps im: limiting 11m-"vement of the switch eperetting members, about tiiei re spectve pivote! supperts, e mercuy switch elee 'merit7 means securing the mercury switch eiement to one of the switch eperetng members for movement therewith, e float, and means brei/idn ing e double knife edge engagement with the otheb of said switch operating members and con nected to the float for actuating said other switch operating member in response to movement of the oat.

ERNST WALTER RICKMEYER. 

